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New Study Reveals Commitment to Faith Corresponds to Decrease in Prejudice

New Study Reveals Commitment to Faith Corresponds to Decrease in Prejudice

Donald Trump’s attempt to appeal to Christians but blame minorities and immigrants for America’s problems isn’t a new approach.

According to the Huffington Post, the outlook is also favored by far-right political parties in Europe, such as the Croatian Party of Rights and the Golden Dawn Party in Greece.

While these groups claim to be filled with faithful men and women, new studies have found that these groups may only loosely identify with their faith.

Two new studies of 13 European countries revealed that advocates of populist radical right parties were “relatively non-religious.”

Another study from a New Zealand survey found that prejudice fell the more people were “committed to their faith.”

“People who only loosely identify with their religion are actually the most prejudiced,” said John Shaver, the lead study author.

According to the Huffington Post, Trump “has become the leading GOP presidential candidate through appeals to populist anger that include proposals and remarks targeting religious and ethnic minorities.”

Trump has said he wants to keep Muslims from entering America. He also said that Mexican immigrants bring in drugs, crime and are “rapists.” He has suggested building a wall to keep out Mexican immigrants.

That is a strategy, Shaver said, that appeals to voters who are relatively religious because “they tend to use religion “to justify their own self-interest” rather than to engage in moral reflection.”